The Susan G. Komen promise is to save lives and end breast cancer forever by empowering people, ensuring quality of care for all and energizing science to find the cures. The Puget Sound Affiliate of Susan G. Komen works to fulfill this promise, in part, by offering grants for innovative programs that reduce breast cancer mortality and morbidity, especially among those who experience disparities related to and/or have disproportional adverse outcomes from this disease.

The Komen Puget Sound Affiliate is currently accepting LOIs from organizations that provide or integrate evidenced-informed, culturally sensitive programs, which increase access to breast health services across the continuum of care (including breast health education and breast health cancer screening, treatment and support programs), for medically underserved individuals in the Komen Puget Sound Affiliate’s sixteen county service area. Komen Puget Sound will award grants using a competitive review process to support evidenced-based project that contribute to 2-4 of the Affiliate’s goals of:

Changing individuals’ knowledge of and decision-making about breast cancer risk, screening recommendations, and screening behaviors, as well as information and awareness surrounding metastatic breast cancer; and

Improving patients’ ability to progress along the breast cancer continuum of care in their local communities, including increased treatment access, completion and follow-up.

Applicants are REQUIRED to submit a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) to indicate interest in Komen funding by September 28, 2018. (See below for more details). Organizations invited to submit full proposals based on their LOI will be given program feedback and technical assistance with their proposal.

In 2015, Komen Puget Sound (KPS) completed our Community Profile Report, Strengthening Partnerships for Community Impact. This report assesses the prevalence of breast cancer in Komen Puget Sound’s service area and prioritizes needs in the Affiliate’s community. Breast cancer and demographic statistics, breast health services and community perspectives were examined to identify disparities, gaps in services and barriers to care that prevent people from detecting breast cancer early, and then seeking and completing treatment. The report is being used by the Affiliate to (1) help align KPS’s strategic and operational plans; (2) focus our education and advocacy efforts; and (3) establish our grantmaking priorities, as evidenced below.

Based upon the disparities identified in the Komen Puget Sound 2015 Community Profile Report, applications that will provide new or expanded projects in the following areas of need are strongly encouraged:

Key Geographies

Greater Metropolitan Area (GMA – King, Snohomish and Pierce Counties)

Projects that will increase access to breast health care services through education and awareness raising, screening, patient navigation and patient assistance across the continuum of care for low-income, African American/Black, Hispanic/Latinos, American Indian/Alaska Native and Pacific Islander individuals (both native-born and immigrant), and projects that target rural/isolated areas.

Grays Harbor County

Projects that will increase access to health care services through breast cancer education and awareness, screening, patient navigation and patient assistance services across the continuum of care for low-income, rural, Hispanic (both native born and immigrant) and American Indian/Alaska Native individuals.

Additional Populations

Projects that focus on underserved racial and ethnic, rural and sexual minority women and transgender/gender nonconforming individuals in communities that are within the target geographies (Grays Harbor, Greater Metropolitan Area) or those within the greater KPS service area.

Komen Puget Sound will provide approximately $500,000 in community grants for the 2019-20 fiscal year. Grants are available for up to one (1) year (April 1, 2019 – March 31, 2020). Applicants are invited to apply under one or more of the following funding categories:

Early Detection and Diagnostics: Grantees provide breast cancer screening and diagnostics services and other follow-up care. To minimize incomplete diagnostic episodes at points where people may be lost to follow-up, grantees should describe their monitoring process – after a screening mammogram recommending further diagnostic evaluation and after a diagnostic evaluation recommending a breast biopsy. For individuals with newly diagnosed breast cancer, the process for transitioning from diagnosis to treatment should be described

Applicants must have the capacity to provide screening and diagnostic mammography services — directly or through subcontract(s) to other service providers. Seventy-five percent (75%) of the total number served should be from the KPS service area, with a particular focus on the four KPS priority counties identified in the 2015 Community Profile Report.

Community Health Workers and Patient Navigators: Community health workers (CHW), promotores de salud and other health educators are members of the community who are fluent in and sensitive to the language and culture of the audience that health care programs want to reach with positive health messages. They can serve as a bridge between providers of health care services and the community. Their primary aim is to help people in their community understand health behaviors, recognize health options, think for themselves, and make decisions that will improve their health. Similarly, patient navigators aid breast cancer patients in accessing and understanding the medical system and help to ensure that they receive and complete the best treatment possible (including, but not limited to, translation, transportation, accurate information, awareness raising, system navigation, insurance navigation, etc.), as well as partner with healthcare providers to improve culturally sensitive services, increase community linkages and improve treatment continuity and follow-up.

Evidence shows that breast cancers that are detected early are much more treatable than those detected late. Grant funding will support programs that inform, educate and empower individuals to seek care and/or provide quality screening and diagnostic services with the intent to reduce health disparities and improve health equity. Those programs that support innovative partnerships to ensure continuity of care are encouraged. Culturally appropriate community health workers reduce disparities in breast cancer outcomes by increasing a woman’s likelihood of initiating and completing treatment, especially among medically underserved individuals. In addition, these programs have the potential to improve access to and enrollment in insurance options under the Affordable Care Act.

The Affiliate is seeking proposals for projects utilizing evidence-based best or promising practices to provide culturally responsive breast health education and literacy about Washington’s health care system to diverse populations. Projects must focus on mitigating barriers to screening, follow-up in the event of abnormal screening results, and treatment in the event of diagnosis.

Community Health Worker programs should work to (1) navigate individuals to screening when appropriate; (2) navigate individuals with abnormal screening results to diagnostics; and (3) navigate individual through treatment and follow-up. Programs should include the following elements:

Education about personal and inherited risk informing a decision to get screened according to individual risk;

Needs assessment to identify any barriers to screening and moving through the continuum of care;

Plans for resources and referrals to remove any financial, logistical or physical barriers (may include, but not limited to transportation, childcare, free or low cost services for uninsured, locating an in-network provider or understanding insurance for insured, out-of-pocket costs for insured, genetic testing, financial assistance, lymphedema and other treatment supplies, as identified in the community profile)

Verification of completion of screening of each individual

Referral for genetic counseling when appropriate;

Verification of completion of further diagnostics navigation or verification of referral for further diagnostics navigation when appropriate;

Verification of completion of further treatment or verification of referral for further treatment navigation when appropriate;

Address the target geographies and populations outlined above.

PLEASE NOTE: Awareness/education-only programs will not be considered for funding.

Komen Puget Sound Affiliate grants are made possible through individual donations, corporate support, and events such as the Puget Sound MORE THAN PINK Walk™.

Restrictions:

All past and current Komen-funded grants or awards to applicant are up-to-date and in compliance with Komen requirements.

Organizations that work on health equity or health disparities are encouraged to apply provided that their request for funding integrates breast health into their current programs/services. Funding for integrated programs must be dedicated to the breast health and/or breast cancer component; e.g. if a program is a combined breast and cervical cancer program, funding may only be requested for the breast cancer portion.

Applicants must be a U.S. tax-exempt organization, e.g. nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, government agencies, and Indian tribes are eligible.

Applicant must be a non-profit organization located in or providing services to one or more of the following locations: Whatcom, Skagit, San Juan, Island, Snohomish, King, Kitsap, Clallam, Jefferson, Mason, Pierce, Thurston, Lewis, Grays Harbor, Pacific, and Wahkiakum Counties.

If applicant, or any of its key employees, directors, officers or agents is convicted of fraud or a crime involving any other financial or administrative impropriety, then applicant is not eligible to apply for a grant during this current cycle and will not be eligible to apply for a new grant until the later of 12 months after the conviction or until applicant can demonstrate that appropriate remedial measures have been taken to ensure that any criminal misconduct does not recur.

Please submit an electronic copy of the LOI (except the attachments listed on the organizational capacity form) via email by 5 p.m. September 28, 2018 to silvia@pskomen.org.

Most recent financial statements (year-end income statement and balance sheet), audited if available; and

Organization budget for current year, including income and expenses

Applicants will be notified by no later than mid-December if a full proposal is invited for submission. Full proposals,* by invitation only, will be due in mid-December and funding decisions will be announced March 2019. The grant period will be from April 1, 2019 through March 31, 2020.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to limited resources, Puget Sound Komen will not be providing grant writing training. If you need assistance, please contact Silvia Kennedy at 206-633-0303 x 118 or at Silvia@pskomen.org.

*Successful LOI applicants invited to submit a full proposal will be given further instructions on how to submit a grant application online through National Komen’s GeMS (Grants electronic Management System).